Protector and snow-excluder for felt boots and overshoes therefor.



PATENTED JUNE 30, 1903.. S. W. WEHN .& OfW. OLBR.

PROTECTOR AND SHOW EXGLUDER FOR FELT BOOTS AND OVERSHOES THEREFOR.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 16, 1903. KOMODEL.

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1m uonms PETERS ca, PVOTO LITHO., WASHINGTON. o. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT Patented June 30, 1903;

()FFICE.

PROTECTOR AND SNOW-EXCLUDER FOR FELT BOOTS AND OVERSHOES THEREFOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 732,609, dated. June 30, 1903.

Application filed April 16, 1.903. Serial No. 152,891. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern;

CHARLES W. OLER,-bOtl 1 citizens of the United States, and residents of Everett, in the county of Bedford and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and Improved Protector and Snow-Excluder for Felt Boots and Overshoes Therefor, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to a kind of foot-covering principally worn by men, such as lumbermen 0r teamsters, who are obliged to travel through deep snow or slush, and the improvements particularly have reference to footwear consisting of boots made of felted material that are worn with heavy rubber shoes which cover the feet and extend up to but do notfully cover the ankles of the wearer.

It is found that if the vents in the rubber overshoes are closed completely for the exclusion of snow or slush the ankle-joints are so bound that free action of the feet is im= peded, and if the shoe-vents are not fully closed, so as to incase the ankles, the intrusion of snow or the like soon wets the feet of the wearer, much to his discomfort. Furthermore, as moreor less friction between the heel portions of the overshoes and like portions of the felt'boots is constantly occurring when these foot-coverings are worn the heels of the felt boots quickly wear out and the boots become useless.

The object of our invention is to provide a simple and very effective heel-protector for felt boots and to combine therewith a novel, convenient, and serviceable snow guard, which will prevent the intrusion of snow or slush at and near the ankles of the wearer, and thus keep the feet dry and comfortable.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of parts, as is hereinafter described, and defined in the appended claims. 7.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a felt-boot leg, a rubber overshoe that covers the foot portion of the boot, and the improved snowexcluder enveloping the ankle portion of the boot and overshoe. Fig. 2 is a side view-of protector and combined snow-excluder enveloping the ankle portions of the boot and overshoe; and Fig. 3 is a perspective view'of the combined heel-protector and snow-excluder.

The felt boot 5 may be of any preferred dimensions, and upon the foot portion 5 a rubber shoe 6 is loosely fitted, having a ventopening a in the vamp, extending from a suitable point a upward and through the upper edge of the shoe, to afford an opening for the free introduction of the foot portion 5 fully within the shoe, as shown in Fig. 2. The vent a is usually closed near the point a by means of a buckle 7, which from its relative position and degree of closing adjustment allows the vent to gap sufficiently at the'upper end to afford freedom for the ankle-joint of the wearer, and,-as indicated in Fig. 2, the gapped vent is covered by a tongue 8. I

Theimprovements provided for the protection of the heel of the felt boot and to exclude from the interior of the shoe the snow which usually passes down in the crevice between the boot-leg and the top of the shoe consists of the following details, (shown clearly in Figs. 2 and 3:) The heel-protector may be formed of any suitable material, preferably of pliablewaterproofed leather, and maybe constructed of one or more pieces of such materialproperly shaped and joined together, so that the lower rear portion 9 will be adapted to receive and fit 'neatly upon the heel {5" of the felt boot 5. The material is extended forward from the heel portion 9 beneath'the instep, as at 9, around which it is curved, 9c and at the forward edge 1) thereof, whichinclines forwardly and. upwardly at each side of the foot, the material is given obtuse angular shape, as at b, and thence said free edge b at each side of the foot trends upward and 5 rearward a proper degree, affording two flaps 9 that are oppositely perforated in. spaced series for the reception-of eyelets c. The portion of the protector which extends above the angles b provides an envelop 9 for the uptoo per portion of the instep and ankle and is given suiiicient height to adapt it to cover the lower portion of the boot-leg. This extension 9prevents injurious wear of the bootleg at and near the ankle, and also coacts with the snow-excluder that will now be described.

The snow-excluder, that is a novel feature of great advantage, is in the form of a depending pliable skirt-piece 10, which is secured near its upper edge upon the ankleenvelop 9 and hangs loosely upon the outer side thereof, extending from the front edge of one flap 9" to a similar edge on the other flap. The ends of the skirt-piece 10 have spaced perforations formed therein near their edges to receive the eyelets c, said perforations being arranged opposite respective perforations in the flaps 9".

When the improvements are to be donned for use, the wearer having incased his feet and lower portions of his legs with the felt boots next places the heels of the felt boots successively in the protectors 9 and closes the ankle portions 9 at their fronts byintroducing a lacing-thong 11 through the eyelets c in the flaps 9 on each ankle-envelop. The lacing-thongs 11 are also inserted through the eyelets c in the ends of the skirt-piece 10, and obviously when said lacings are drawn upon the vents between the flap portions 9" will be closed, and the heel portions of the device, as well as the ankle-envelops, will be drawn into close contact with the heel, ankle, and instep portions of the felt boots, thus providing substantial reinforcing-envelops for said parts of the boots. The felt boots are now inserted within the overshoes 6, passing the upper edges of the overshoes beneath the depending portions-of the skirt-pieces 10. Then the lacings 11 are tightened and tied, which will hug the skirt-pieces closely upon the upper portions of the overshoes, that are now closed at their vents by an adjustmentof their tongues S and buckles 7, so that the skirtpieces cover the upper ends of the tongues.

It will be seen that the ankle portions 9 of the heel-coverings 9 coact with the skirtpieces 10 for the reliable exclusion of snow, slush, or rain from the ankles and feet of the boots, and thus prevent them from becoming damp. Furthermore, as the protecting-envelops for the heels of the boots are held in close contact therewith it will be seen that friction due to movement of the heel portions of the boots while the wearer is walking will only occur between the heel-protectors 9 and the heels of the rubber shoes, so that the durability of the felt boots is greatly increased by the use of the improvements.

Having thus described our invention, we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentv 1. A heel and ankle protector for fibrous boots, comprising a closable envelop for the heel, instep and ankle of the boot, and a skirtpiece depending at its upper edge from the protector and encircling the ankle, said skirtpiece being closed by the closing device of the ankle-protector.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a protector for a fibrous foot-covering, comprising a pliable waterproof envelop for the heel, instep and ankle of the foot-covering, said envelop being open at the front, providing two [laps thereon, eyeleted spaced perforations in the flaps,a depending skirt-piece secured near its upper edge on the outer side and near the top of the ankle-protector, said skirt-piece having eyelet-protected perforations near its ends, and a lacing engaging the eyelet-protected holes in the flaps and ends of the skirtpiece.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

SAMUEL W. WEHN. CHARLES W. OLER.

Witnesses:

H. M. WEAVERLING, G. W. CUNARD. 

